Helping environmental health practitioners develop strategic partnerships and engage public health policy makers on the value and benefits of environmental health services.Editor's note Editor's Note (foaled in 1993 in Kentucky) is an American thoroughbred Stallion racehorse. He was sired by 1992 U.S. Champion 2 YO Colt Forty Niner, who in turn was a son of Champion sire Mr. Prospector and out of the mare, Beware Of The Cat. Trained by D. : NEHA NEHA National Environmental Health Association NEHA National Executive Housekeepers Association NEHA Northern Estates Homeowners Association (Indianapolis, Indiana) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we will feature a column from the Environmental Health Services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract Branch (EHSB) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ) in every issue of the Journal. EHSB's objective is to strengthen the role of state, local, and national environmental health programs and professionals to anticipate, identify, and respond to adverse environmental exposures and the consequences of these exposures for human health. The services being developed through EHSB include access to topical, relevant, and scientific information; consultation; and assistance to environmental health specialists, sanitarians, and environmental health professionals and practitioners. EHSB appreciates NEHA's invitation to provide monthly columns for the Journal. EHSB staff will be highlighting a variety of concerns, opportunities, challenges, and successes that we all share in environmental public health. This month, the Environmental Health Services Branch (EHSB) is celebrating the accomplishments of its grantees in the area of capacity building for environmental public health. In addition to understanding the activities and achieving the outcomes featured this month in the Journal of Environmental Health, the grantees felt the need to address another issue that affects the ability of a program to improve environmental health service delivery--strategic partnerships with policy makers. As a result, a small grantee An individual to whom a transfer or conveyance of property is made. In a case involving the sale of land, the buyer is commonly known as the grantee. grantee n. workgroup developed a set of talking points that environmental public health practitioners can use to facilitate their discussions with public health policy makers on the value and benefits of environmental health services. Workgroup members represented a cross-section of the environmental public health workforce: They were from state or local government agencies and academia, the length of their experience ranged from less than 10 years to more than 30 years, and they came from different geographic regions. The workgroup came up with a set of criteria to guide the development of the talking points: * illustrate the importance of environmental public health programs to the overall health and welfare of the nation; * reinforce the point that the 10 essential services (see the first sidebar (1) A Windows Vista desktop panel that holds mini applications (gadgets) such as a calendar, calculator, stock ticker and Vonage phone dialer. It is the Windows counterpart to the Dashboard in the Mac. See Windows Vista and gadget. on page 67) are important elements in the building or enhancing of environmental public health program infrastructure; * recognize the critical role that public policy makers play in supporting the delivery of environmental public health services; * suggest that environmental public health practitioners form and sustain strategic partners with policy makers; and * support increased capacity in environmental health to reduce environmental risk, train a competent workforce (for a list of core competencies A core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three conditions specified by Hamel and Prahalad (1990):
The talking points hinge on Verb 1. hinge on - be contingent on; "The outcomes rides on the results of the election"; "Your grade will depends on your homework" depend on, depend upon, devolve on, hinge upon, turn on, ride three simple questions that the group believes most practitioners have asked themselves in their effort to address demand for their services while available resources have remained constant or have declined: * What kinds of health risks do environmental public health services address? * What can policy makers do? * What can local environmental public health practitioners do? The workgroup members called on their own experiences in order to address and provide anecdotal anecdotal /an·ec·do·tal/ (an?ek-do´t'l) based on case histories rather than on controlled clinical trials. anecdotal adjective Unsubstantiated; occurring as single or isolated event. responses to each question. These responses, which can be found at www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Docs/Value_and_Benefits_of_EH_Services.doc, are the talking points. The talking points are a beginning: a set of answers that practitioners can customize as necessary to keep the message the same across the country yet be community-specific--one voice for environmental public health. Practitioners are encouraged to use these questions and answers in ways that are relevant to their communities or regions. Please take a minute to review the talking points and send us your comments. You can send comments by visiting the Web address given above and clicking on the comments link. Please tell us if the talking points are relevant and beneficial in your efforts to engage policy makers and develop strategic partnerships. Acknowledgement: Members of the workgroup that developed the talking points document were Tom Struzick, M.S.W./M.Ed., University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB began in 1936 as the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. Because of the rapid growth of the Birmingham area, it was decided that an extension program for students who had difficulties which prevented them from studying in Tuscaloosa was needed. ; Ken Sharp, R.E.H.S., Iowa Department of Public Health; Carl Osaki, R.S., M.S.P.H., University of Washington; Lynn Schulman George, Multnomah County Environmental Health; Sarah Kotchian, Ed.M., M.P.H., Ph.D., University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM) is a public university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was founded in 1889. It also offers multiple bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degree programs in all areas of the arts, sciences, and engineering. ; and Daneen Farrow farrow see farrowing. Collier, M.S.P.H., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Corresponding Author: Daneen Farrow Collier, Environmental Health Services Branch, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, MS F-28, Atlanta, GA 30341. E-mail: dhf6@cdc.gov. Daneen Farrow Collier, M.S.P.H. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RELATED ARTICLE: The 10 Essential Services of Environmental Public Health * Monitor environmental and health status to identify community environmental health problems. * Diagnose diagnose /di·ag·nose/ (di´ag-nos) to identify or recognize a disease. di·ag·nose v. 1. To distinguish or identify a disease by diagnosis. 2. and investigate environmental health problems and health hazards health hazard Occupational safety Any agent or activity posing a potential hazard to health. Cf Physical hazard. in the community. * Inform, educate, and empower people about environmental health issues. * Mobilize mo·bi·lize v. 1. To make mobile or capable of movement. 2. To restore the power of motion to a joint. 3. To release into the body, as glycogen from the liver. community partnerships to identify and solve environmental health problems. * Develop policies and plans that support individual and community environmental health efforts. * Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety. * Link people to needed environmental health services and assure the provision of environmental health services when otherwise unavailable. * Assure a competent environmental health and personal health care workforce. * Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based environmental health services. * Conduct research for new insights and innovative solutions to environmental health problems and issues. RELATED ARTICLE: Core Competencies of Environmental Public Health Assessment 1. Information gathering 2. Data analysis and interpretation 3. Evaluation Management 1. Problem solving problem solving Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. 2. Economic and political issues 3. Organizational knowledge and behavior 4. Project management 5. Computer and information technology 6. Reporting, documentation, and record keeping 7. Collaboration Communication 1. Educate 2. Communicate 3. Conflict resolution 4. Marketing |
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